Man Sentenced in El Paso for Trafficking Meth into U.S. from Mexico

EL PASO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to 70 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Cesar Tarango Cobos, 42, of Chihuahua, Mexico attempted to enter the United States from Mexico through the Presidio Port of Entry on Feb. 17. A secondary vehicle inspection revealed 94 brick-shaped bundles containing 38.72 kilograms of marijuana and 21 cylinder-shaped bundles containing 10.2 kilograms of methamphetamine stored in after-market compartments and in the rear bumper and side panel areas of the vehicle.

“Agents at the ports of entry remain vigilant and I commend all of our law enforcement partners for their investigative work in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “As the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we are committed to working with our federal partners to prosecute drug traffickers and protect our communities from the detrimental effects of their crimes.”

“With this conviction, FBI El Paso and our Drug Enforcement Administration partners are working together to have a positive impact at the local level,” said Special Agent in Charge John Morales for the FBI El Paso Field Office. “We are sending a strong and unified message that drug trafficking will not be tolerated, and, in turn, we are keeping our communities safer and free from methamphetamine which continues to cause horrific damage in too many of our communities.”

“Over 100,000 Americans died last year due to illicit synthetic drugs, primarily fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric Castañeda of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “The men and women of the DEA will continue to prioritize, with laser focus, those who traffic these harmful drugs.”

The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Myers prosecuted the case.

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